You'd think after over ten years of this BS we'd all either know better than to 'desecrate' the holy Crayon, or have made a conscious decision to not give a s*it. These accidents and subsequent grovelings are counterproductive.
Troops on the U.S.' largest base in Afghanistan have inadvertently burned Qurans and other religious materials, triggering angry protests and fears of even larger demonstrations as news of the burning spreads.

The books were mistakenly thrown out with the trash (Bite tongue - er, fingers - and refrain from obvious comment)
at Bagram Air Field north of Kabul and were on a burn pile Monday night before Afghan laborers intervened around 11:00 p.m., according to NATO and Afghan officials.

By the morning, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside of Bagram and on the outskirts of Kabul. Some shot into the air, some threw rocks at the Bagram gate, and others yelled, "Die, die foreigners." Many of them were the same people who work with foreign troops inside the base. At one point, apparently worried that the base would be stormed, guards at the base fired rubber bullets into the crowd, according to the military.

I must say I have no sympathy with the protesters. I love my holy book too but I don't go nuts if somebody inadvertently handles it 'incorrectly'. These folks need an education, and rubber bullets may not communicate the point with sufficient pedagogic precision...

#2
Hey, Korans, Bibles, it's all equal opportunity. I guess they didn't get the decree that there is only one god, HHS told the Catholics that a couple weeks ago on the contraceptives deal and it isn't the one in the books.

Afghan and international media reported that as many as 2,000 protesters had gathered near the base. According to The Associated Press, Afghan police said protesters shouted Die, die, foreigners!

After 9/11 the US took the high road and never properly defeated and/or punished the Afghans, hence their utter lack of fear and respect.

I offer my sincere apologies for any offense this may have caused, to the President of Afghanistan, the Government of the Islamofascistic Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and most importantly, to the treacherousmurderous noble people of Afghanistan.

Since rejecting and disrespecting the Koran or other religious symbols is perfectly legal protected speech in the US, this profuse apology is misleading...

unless acceptance of Rushdie rules for non-muslims in the West is now the official policy of ISAF.
&lt/rant&gt

#4
Isn't the reason we are there is that about 19 people read that book and then flew fully loaded passenger planes into fully occupied buildings in New York City? And now our Generals are apologizing in regards to how American soldiers handled that book?

Kabul - The Afghan government said on Monday that police had rescued 41 children from becoming jacket wallahs as they were about to be smuggled across the mountains into Pakistain.

And as usual, the news is brought to us by some third-line MSM agency and not the New York Times...

To be fair, we rarely check to see what the New York Times reports -- while they have a few outstanding journalists on their payroll, the majority seem to see themselves as paid propagandists.

Interior ministry spokesperson Sediq Sediqqi told a news conference that the children aged six to 11 had been released on February 15 from the clutches of four gun-hung tough guys in eastern Kunar province... which is right down the road from Chitral. Kunar is Haqqani country.....He told AFP their families "were fooled by terrorists", who promised to send them to seminaries in Pakistain where they would be "brainwashed" and "prepared for suicide kabooms against Afghan and international troops in Afghanistan".

Police set to sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock, in a pestilential prison with a life-long lock the four suspects and the children were returned to their families, the spokesperson said.

The Afghan government has accused madrassas in Pakistain of teaching violent extremism and sponsoring Islamist violence, a legacy of Afghanistan's 1979-89 US and Pak-sponsored mujahideen uprising against Soviet troops.

On February 12, Afghan authorities announced the arrest of two 10-year-old would-be suicide bombers allegedly planning to attack Afghan and international forces in the southern province of Kandahar, the Taliban's birthplace.

They had been reportedly released last August, along with 18 other children, after receiving a pardon from Afghanistan's Caped PresidentHamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use...The Taliban, which is leading a 10-year insurgency against Karzai's government and 130 000 US-led foreign troops, have reportedly used children and teenagers to conduct attacks on security forces.

SANAA: Iran is becoming more active in Yemen and could pose a deeper threat to its stability and security, the US envoy to Yemen said on Monday, highlighting what would be yet another layer of uncertainty in a near-failed state.

We do see Iran trying to increase its presence here, in ways that we believe are unhelpful to Yemens stability and security, Feierstein said in an interview one day before Yemenis head to the polls to elect a new president to replace Ali Abdullah Saleh, ending his three decades in power.

I think that we are seeing increasing Iranian outreach to various actors, Feierstein said.

The northern Houthi rebels, who draw their name from a tribal leader, control Saada province bordering Saudi Arabia, which intervened military in Yemen in 2009. There is ongoing fighting between the Houthis, who are members of the Zaydi branch of Shiite Islam, and Salafis - Sunni Muslims whose puritanical creed mirrors doctrines widespread in Saudi Arabia, and classes Shiites as heretics.

We do definitely see a rise in Iranian finance, efforts on the part of Iran to increase its influence not only with Zaydi Shia elements but with Sunni elements as well, Feierstein said.

We do think that we have evidence of Iranian activities that will build up military capabilities as well. Its a relatively recent phenomenon, Iran is taking advantage of this period of political instability and loss of government control over large parts of the country.

The US Ambassador also said that while there were signs that the Houthis were willing to engage in dialogue to bring some stability to the country, the group was also expanding its territory.

But were also concerned about conflicts between Houthis and others in the north and a fairly aggressive effort on their part to expand their territory and their control and so we hope that through this process of national dialogue they will engage politically and work in a positive way that will end this conflict.

#1
Iran must see itself as a Neo-Soviet player on the world stage. It is in a way. A way that is sort of crappy, second-rate and in need of a breath mint. By crappy, I mean crappy as compared to the Soviet Union which was crappy itself.

#2
People need to pay attention to the religious doctrine of the Iranian nut jobs that are now in power. They believe they can precipitate the coming of the Mahdi. Learn about the prophesy they believe to be true. Their goal is the taking over of the holy cities of Saudi Arabia. Their prophesy speaks of an Army from the South (Yemen?) and an Army from the North (Iraq/Syria) converging on Saudi Arabia.

They believe that if they create the conditions mentioned in the prophesy, they can cause the Mahdi to appear. It would be like a Christian who believes that if they create the conditions written about in Revelations, they can precipitate the second coming.

These people are crazy, it would do us well to listen to what they are saying as they believe it.

All of the Saudi Govt's = Royal Family's new or expanded Public Benefits for Muslims isn't enuff to placate or replace Shia-perceived Govt + Sunni PERSECUTION, DISCRIMINATION, + MISSING RIGHTS, ETC. AS MUSLIMS.

Yemen's future president Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi has pledged to southern separatists and northern rebels that he will address their concerns, as fears mounted over election boycotts and escalating vote-related violence.

Both the separatist Southern Movement and the northern Iranian catspaws are boycotting Tuesday's presidential vote, and attacks on polling stations and festivities between troops and anti-election protesters in the south have raised fears that polling day could be marred by violence.

Hadi in a televised speech late on Sunday said "dialogue and only dialogue" can resolve these long-standing conflicts.

"The southern issue and its implications, and what happened, and what is still happening in Saada (the rebel stronghold in the north), must be given priority ... and must be addressed with an open heart and without prejudice," he said.

Interior Minister Abdul Qader Qahtan also tried to reassure voters. "We have taken preventive measures to deal with groups that want to block people from carrying out their electoral duty," he told news hounds, urging a vote "for the security and stability of Yemen."

Escalating poll-related violence on Monday left one soldier dead and another maimed as troops clashed with separatists at a checkpoint in Yemen's southern Daleh province, a military official told Agence La Belle France Presse.

Seven armed protesters, chanting "revolution in the south" were maimed in the exchange of fire, a Southern Movement member told AFP. Troop reinforcements and dozens of armored vehicles arrived in the southern port city of Aden late Sunday, security officials said.

The deployment came as Death Eaters in the southeast province of Shabwa seized a polling station, triggering festivities with security forces who fired tear gas and live ammunition to force their retreat, witnesses and activists said. No serious injuries were reported.

Earlier, troops and separatists exchanged fire in Aden's Mansura neighborhood, a stronghold of the movement, where a mass protest against the poll was expected later on Monday.

A security official said police on Sunday and Monday carried out "arrest raids on armed hardliners" from the Southern Movement trying "by force to prevent citizens from participating in the elections."

"These elements are trying to create a state of fear among citizens by spreading rumors that February 21 will see acts of violence," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Hadi is the only candidate in Tuesday's poll,

How convenient. How democratic. The Kos Kiddies must be jealous...

a condition of the Gulf-brokered transition deal signed by outgoing President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it... after months of protests and international pressure demanding his ouster.

Hadi will be president for an interim two years after which presidential elections and parliamentary elections will be held.

Which he'll win, because the new constitution will mandate it. Then he'll write another new constitution...

"It is every Yemeni's duty to vote, because only these elections can prevent wars and allow Yemen to enter a new phase," said Amine Haykal, a 28-year-old civil servant from Sanaa.

On Sunday Hadi, currently vice president, outlined his two-year plan, promising "radical reforms" and stressing the need to reunify the army. Hadi also pledged to fight al-Qaeda and its growing influence in the lawless south and eastern provinces where the Death Eaters have seized several towns in recent months.

In Zinjibar, scenic provincial capital of Abyan province, two soldiers were killed on Monday in festivities with al-Qaeda orcs, security officials said.

Troops have been battling the self-proclaimed Partisans of Sharia (Islamic law) in Zinjibar since last May when the cut-throats took most of the city.

In the north, Iranian catspaws, who have fought six wars with Saleh's regime since 1994, have also boycotted the poll, though they pledged to allow people to vote.

"The polling stations are open and working normally ... we are boycotting, we are not preventing" people from voting, Mohammed Abdul Salam, a front man for the Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates....rebels, told AFP.

Mohammed Yahya, Chairman of the Electoral Commission, said 103,000 soldiers have been deployed to guard polling stations.

The shootout took place at about 0730 hrs between the communities of Buenavista de Trujillo and San Cristobal in Fresnillo, where state police agents observed the drivers of two trucks take evasive maneuvers when they saw the police, prompting at attempt at a traffic stop.

The drivers then attempted to flee, prompting a pursuit and an exchange of gunfire.

Reads almost like the RAB...

Previous versions of the story were that agents had detained an unidentified Los Zetas Valapraiso cell leader, and that the appearance of several armed suspects was an attempt to free the leader. That version was not denied by Zacatecas attorney general, Arturo Nahle Garcia however, subsequent reports from Zacatecas do not refer to the arrest. Arturo Nahle Garcia said an arrest had been made, and that several suspects did attack state police agents.

A version of the story published Monday afternoon by El Diario de Coahuila news daily was that when the state police agents were intercepted, they called for backup and that a Polica Federal road patrol unit showed up to provide relief.

All the detainees are from Guatemala, according to El Sol de Zacatecas news daily.

Materiel seized in the aftermath include: 87 weapons magazines, 2,156 rounds of ammunition, 63 "stars", communications and tactical gear, and two vehicles: a Dodge Double Cab pickup truck and a Cadillac Escalade SUV, both reported stolen. El Diario de Coahuila reported six rifles and a rocket launcher was also seized following the confrontation.

An Islamic organization in Australia is taking the countrys intelligence services to court over what it calls "constant harassment" and "bullying" against Muslims in the country.

In a press release, the Islamic Society of the Australian state of Victoria that they would press their case against security agents, who they said have been approaching Muslims daily, offering them jobs and demanding personal information.

Offering jobs? The horror!

The flasphoint of the lawsuit is Preston Mosque in Melbourne, where the Islamic Society says the intelligence agents have been harassing worshipers every day.

Baha Yehia, secretary of the Islamic Society of Victoria, said that the group plans to go to Canberra with their case if the issue cannot be resolved in Melbourne.

On Radio Australia, Yehia said that congregants are becoming more forceful in their refusal to speak with intelligence agents. He said, "People are more aware now and people know now that they can say no to ASIO  we dont have to speak to you and we dont want to speak to you."

But there are concerns that the mosque itself is a location of radicalism, where seven alleged members of the mosque were arrested and charged with belonging to a terrorist organization in 2008.

Yehia disavowed their membership, saying, "None of these people used to practise or preach at the mosque. They used to attend the mosque. You know, mosques have a different structure than churches."

Yehia added that many congregants are being approached, despite public statements by ASIO that they are not against Islam. Yehia stated, "Theres a bit of mistrust in the community because nobody knows who is working for ASIO, because a lot of people have been approached. And theyve also been asked to work for ASIO."

Iraq's interior ministry said on Monday its forces had fended off "smugglers and infiltrators" trying to cross the border from Syria.

"Border guards were able to fend off groups of smugglers and infiltrators who were trying to cross the border from Syria into Iraq," a statement on the ministry's website said, without specifying when this occurred.

The guards forced the groups to retreat into Syria, the statement said, adding that the incidents took place in areas of Nineveh province.

Welcome news though a few years late...

A statement released on Saturday by the Iraqi premier's office said Iraq is taking measures to secure its border with Syria against weapons smuggling and the unauthorized movement of people.

Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-AssadLight of the Alawites... has been carrying out a bloody crackdown on an uprising against his rule, in which activists say more than 6,000 people have been killed since March 2011.

While there are still regular civilian protests that turn deadly in Syria, the focus has now also shifted to armed conflict with regime forces.

Iraq's interior minister said in an interview with Agence La Belle France Presse that jihadists were moving from Iraq to Syria and arms are also being smuggled across the border to opponents of Assad's regime.

An Islamic terrorist militant accused of beheading Philippine soldiers and other attacks was arrested on Tuesday after being surprised in his remote island hideout. Security forces captured Abdulpattah Ismael, a member of Abu Sayyaf, in a raid on a village on the southern island of Basilan, said regional police chief Superintendent Napoleon Estilles.

Estilles said, "He did not resist. He was taken by surprise. He did not expect this so he did not have time to react."

Ismael faces murder charges for his role in an ambush on Basilan in 2007 in which 14 Marines were killed, 10 of whom were beheaded, in one of the worst attacks by the Abu Sayyaf on the Philippine military.

Estilles said Ismael also was involved in a raid on a Basilan jail in 2009 that led to the escape of 31 inmates, including Muslim terrorists militants, and the death of a guard.

Three suspected terrorists insurgents were killed and three security personnel were injured on Tuesday in Thailand's southern province of Pattani.

The gun battle took place as a group of ten government soldiers and paramilitary rangers were building a roadside checkpoint for a village defense unit when seven armed terrorists men in a pickup truck began shooting at them. The exchange of gunfire lasted about 30 minutes.

Two terrorists gunmen were instantly killed at the site of the first clash. The soldiers followed the terrorists attackers who fled in separate directions. A third terrorist assailant was gunned down in a clash during the pursuit, while the other four terrorists escaped. M16 assault rifles with fully-loaded ammunition clips were discovered near their terrorist bodies.

An investigation found that security personnel were aware of a possible terrorist attack targeting village leader Vorakit Nisorn, whose home is located near the clash sites and for that reason officials had deployed security forces in the area before the incident.

Bangkok Police believe that a number of stickers bearing the word "Sejeal" found posted along a road in the city may have been used by the Iranian men tossed in the calaboose in a terror plot last week to mark potential targets, the Bangkok Post reported on Monday.

The stickers were found posted at 52 locations along a road which leads to the Israeli embassy in Bangkok and is frequented by Israeli officials. Similar stickers were found at the house where a blast occurred last week, believed to be a work accident which took place while the suspects were planning a terror attack. The stickers were also discovered at another house linked to the suspects and under the seat of a cycle of violence believed to be the property of one of the suspects.

According to the report, the word written on the stickers, "sejeal," may refer to a passage in the Koran. Paleostinians snuffies have referred to their rockets and mortar shells as "sejeal stones," referencing the Koran passage.

The Bangkok Post added that Thai police were planning to seek an arrest warrant for a sixth suspect believed to be involved in the terror plot. An official said that the suspect is believed to have left Thailand for Iran already.

#2
Possible but unlikely, as Iran needs time to dev + safely master its NucTechs - iff that means being "humble" + tolerating a US-NATO naval, etc. presence offshore, SO BE IT! Iran still has its various MilTerr Proxies whom can PDeniably act "autonomously" or "independently" from Tehran.

IMO what mattered to the Mullahs years ago was a formal US-Allied GROUND INVASION + OCCUPATION to stop thier NucProgs.

The protests that took place over the past two days in Damascus' Al Maza neighborhood have turned the Syrian capital - especially its heated neighborhoods - into a besieged and closed-in zone. According to reports by activists of the Syrian opposition, numerous security forces have been streaming into the capital, dozens of barriers have been erected in some of the main streets, and "there's a sense of war in the city."

There were severe shortages of electricity in Homs and Damascus after large generators that were supplying the cities with electricity were damaged either by bombardments of the Syrian army or by sabotage. In Damascus there is talk of insane price rises of 50%-80% on basic goods, hawkers -- who were once removed from the streets by police -- have opened improvised stalls to replace licensed stores, skyrocketing gas prices have caused increased taxi fares, and even the Iranian tourists who once visited holy sites for Shi'as in Damascus have stopped coming in light of the recommendations of the Iranian immigration authorities, who blamed the ban on Syria's dilapidated security situation.

Syrians sense war in Damascus while Assad tries to score points
Syrians report electricity shortages in Homs and Damascus, as Syrian President Bashar Assad tries minimizing pressure by a referendum on changes to the constitution that do not satisfy the opposition.

The protests that took place over the past two days in Damascus' Al Maza neighborhood have turned the Syrian capital - especially its heated neighborhoods - into a besieged and closed-in zone. According to reports by activists of the Syrian opposition, numerous security forces have been streaming into the capital, dozens of barriers have been erected in some of the main streets, and "there's a sense of war in the city."

Nonetheless, there is not yet talk of crowds bursting into the streets of Damascus. There are concerns that the Syrian army intends to "conquer" the city of Homs after explosions in the neighborhood of Baba Amar failed to suppress protesters, and in light of the shots that could be heard this morning, while clashes took place in the cities of Daraa, Hama and Idlib.

There were severe shortages of electricity in Homs and Damascus after large generators that were supplying the cities with electricity were damaged either by bombardments of the Syrian army or by sabotage. In Damascus there is talk of insane price rises of 50%-80% on basic goods, hawkers -- who were once removed from the streets by police -- have opened improvised stalls to replace licensed stores, skyrocketing gas prices have caused increased taxi fares, and even the Iranian tourists who once visited holy sites for Shi'as in Damascus have stopped coming in light of the recommendations of the Iranian immigration authorities, who blamed the ban on Syria's dilapidated security situation.

In the meantime, Arab diplomatic pressure is building up on Syria.

Despite all that, the Syrian regime still does not appear to be retreating, nor willing to cease the attacks on its citizens. Official Syrian media are reporting that the government is offering relief for loaners by retracting fines on late repayments, offering extended hours of free electricity, offering new housing projects as well as tax breaks for university students. This Sunday, Assad is expected to hold a referendum over changes to the constitution, which include, among other things, cancelation of the monopoly of the Baath party and limits to the tenure of the president to two terms of seven years. Assad will request to use the referendum and new constitution to prove how serious his intentions are to apply reforms, and in doing so, also try to convince at least some of the Arab states to remove the sanctions imposed on Syria, while giving Russia and China "ammunition" to continue supporting him.

Violence killed 15 people across Syria on Monday as regime troops massed around Homs, sparking calls for women and kiddies to flee the besieged flashpoint city, as Iranian warships docked at the port of Tartus in a show of force.

The reported buildup came as Mediterranean states meeting in Rome agreed to preserve Syria's territorial integrity and avoid an "Iraqi scenario," according to Tunisian Foreign Minister Rafik Abdessalem.

U.S. General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said any intervention in Syria would be "very difficult" and that it was "premature" to arm the opposition.

China's influential People's Daily warned that any Western support for the rebels would trigger a "large-scale civil war."

But, despite a weekend appeal by a visiting Chinese envoy for all sides to stop the violence, monitors said forces of embattled Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-AssadLord of the Baath... targeted the central city of Homs for a 17th straight day.

Attacks on Homs killed nine out of the 15 people killed across Syria so far on Monday, according to reports by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and official state media.

Shelling of Baba Amr, the main rebel stronghold in Homs, killed five civilians, while another four died when rockets crashed into al-Malaab district, said the Britannia-based Observatory.

The official SANA news agency said a lieutenant colonel and a sergeant were killed in a clash between border guards and an "armed terrorist group" in Athraya, central Hama province.

Activists and state media reported at least 14 people were killed Sunday, adding to the more than 6,000 people who have died in the Assad regime's 11-month crackdown on dissent.

A Homs-based activist voiced fears of an imminent attack on Baba Amr, the main rebel stronghold in the central city, speaking of "unprecedented military reinforcements coming from Damascus...Capital of the last overtly fascist regime in the world..."News has been leaked to us from army officers about a bloody attack that will burn everything in Baba Amr," Hadi Abdullah of the General Commission of the Syrian Revolution said Sunday.

"We were expecting the attack two nights ago, but it could have been just delayed because of the snowstorm," he said.

A day after saying Baba Amr was being hit at the rate of up to five rockets a minute, Abdullah on Monday demanded a safe passage to allow women and kiddies to leave the district.

"We want women and kiddies to be allowed to leave," he told AFP, adding that "people were suffering from the weather while their conditions are miserable."

Abdul Rahman was cautious about the timing of the expected attack.

"We do not know when the attack might happen," he said.

Elsewhere, two warships from Iran, a key backer of the Syrian regime, docked at the port of Tartus, Tehran's state television... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
reported on Monday, adding that their crew would train Syrian sailors.

Iran's navy chief, Admiral Habibollah Sayari, said on Saturday that the ships, a destroyer and supply vessel, had passed through the Suez Canal to show the Islamic republic's military "might."

In Damascus, regime forces remained on alert after two days of large and unexpected protests, and after a call for a "day of defiance" was observed in restive neighborhoods, according to activists.

"Following the surprising demonstrations (on Friday and Saturday), the regime is reconsidering its security measures," in the capital, said Abdul Rahman.

Mohammed Shami, a front man for activists in Damascus province, said security was bolstered in some areas in the tense neighborhood of Mazzeh, including around the Iranian embassy.

Two masked men flew a large green, white and black flag of "independence" from a bridge in Kfar Sousa neighborhood, according to amateur video footage uploaded by activists to YouTube.

Activists reported Sunday a security clampdown on Mazzeh, thwarting plans to stage large protests in the area, scene the day before of a funeral that became a huge anti-regime rally.

Meanwhile,...back at the Hubba Hubba Club, Nunzio had his hands full of angry bleached blonde... the Syrian authorities freed blogger Razan Ghazzawi, symbol of an 11-month uprising, and six other female activists incarcerated last week, human rights ...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions... lawyer Anwar Buni said.

The women were released on Saturday, but were ordered to report to police daily in order to continue their questioning, he said.

They were part of a group of 14 activists people incarcerated Thursday in a raid on the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, a group headed by rights activist Mazen Darwish.

A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.